You Su abruptly opened his eyes and quickly sat up, once again finding the familiar fog before him.
He panted heavily and instinctively touched his neck, then pinched himself.
Perfectly intact... so painful... was that just a dream?
How could a dream feel so real...
You Su was still reeling, even breaking out in a cold sweat.
He didn't understand why he would have such a dream; this isn't the materialistic society of his past life. Was this bizarre dream merely a nonsensical nightmare, or a reflection of some inner thought, or perhaps a metaphor hidden within the depths of fate?
You Su was somewhat afraid and missed the master who had left eight years ago.
In his memory, the master was a careless yet powerful person. During festivals, even the City Lord of Chuyun City would personally come to this dilapidated Sword Sect to visit the master. Despite feeling unfortunate due to his blindness, You Su was grateful for meeting the master.
He had intended to grow wild under the master's protection, eventually living a life of divine freedom. Unexpectedly, on his tenth birthday, after he had grown accustomed to the life of a blind person, the master brought back a woman and told him that she was the Master, advising him to take good care of her and not to stop her if she wished to leave. And he himself was about to go on a journey, which could be as short as ten years or as long as a lifetime.
He said that during this journey, he would explore the world's greatest secret, and if successful, the name of Guan Chujun would be renowned throughout the Five Continents, and their Mandarin Duck Sword Sect would soar skyward, never to be in such a poor state again.
Before You Su could savor this dream, the master disappeared. He not only vanished but also took everything valuable from the rundown sect, including those two pieces of smoked bacon You Su had years ago. Were it not for knowing the master's erratic nature, You Su would truly suspect the master had run away.
The Master was equally strange. Since moving into the sect's residence eight years ago, she spoke only a few words and spent days meditating in her room without eating or drinking, occasionally reading on rainy days, practicing swordsmanship under the moon, or playing the zither in the snow. You Su guessed she must be an extraordinary person, yet he couldn't perceive any cultivation within her, seeming more ordinary than the ordinary.
The origin of the junior apprentice sister was also quite mysterious. When You Su was fifteen, a rogue girl suddenly appeared outside the sect, insisting on joining the Sword Sect. The girl refused to disclose her family background, only saying her name was Ji Lingruo and that she and her sister were the most beautiful women under the heaven, using this as a reason for You Su to recruit disciples for the master. Unfortunately, You Su, being blind, would not recruit someone of unknown origin for beauty he couldn't see. After days of pulling back and forth, the reclusive Master finally spoke, allowing this cheap junior apprentice sister into the sect.
Interestingly, since then, the self-proclaimed title of the junior apprentice sister had quietly changed from "the most beautiful woman under the heaven" to "the most beautiful girl under the heaven."
When the junior apprentice sister first entered the sect, she enthusiastically learned the sword, and You Su gladly imparted all he knew. Yet, he didn't expect the girl's talent to be so dull! Teaching for a year yielded no progress! By the second year, she completely slouched, spending nights lost in those storytelling books he read to make money. Only when he used the latest chapters as a pending reward would she reluctantly practice swordsmanship, yet still failing to grasp its essence, leaving You Su utterly helpless.
Nonetheless, Ji Lingruo's presence indeed brought a touch of vibrance to You Su's dull life. But when the vibrance wore her face in the dream, it only made You Su feel a prickle in his spine.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The violent knocking at the door outside shattered You Su's contemplation. Like a huge bell striking his heart, fear and tension rushed upon You Su once more.
Is this reality? Or am I still dreaming?
"I'm awake, thank you, junior apprentice sister."
You Su tried to maintain a calm voice and replied as he did before, but did not get dressed, remaining in bed.
"Senior apprentice brother, come out."
Indeed! You Su's heart sank, for a normal junior apprentice sister wouldn't call him senior apprentice brother—the one outside was still that monster!
"Junior apprentice sister, what's the matter? I'm feeling a bit unwell today, suspecting I have caught the flu, so I don't want to infect you. Let's talk tomorrow, okay?"
"Huh? A Spirit Platform Realm cultivator can get sick? Are you uncomfortable? Do you need to see a doctor?" Junior apprentice sister's voice was full of concern.
"Don't worry, I'll recover after a day of self-nurturing."
"But... I must deliver this today..." The junior apprentice sister's tone was somewhat regretful.
'Must deliver today? Why must the meat piece be delivered today?' You Su couldn't figure out any rationale.
"Do you have something to give me? If it's inconvenient, just leave it at the door, and I'll get it later."
"Oh, but that won't work. No matter, this lady isn't afraid of being infected by you, I'm coming in personally to deliver it!"
After this, the sound of vigorous kicking at the door was heard, yet after two kicks, the latch was still intact.
"A grown man sleeping, why lock the door?" The junior apprentice sister outside was irate, "If you don't open the door, this lady will break in!"
You're already breaking in! You Su's scalp tingled, not expecting the situation to develop this way, hurriedly saying:
"Junior apprentice sister, don't rush, I'm coming to open the door."
"Hurry, this lady needs to sleep too."
You Su quickly dressed while desperately recalling the errors he made in his dream.
Where did I go wrong for the dream's Master to see through it?
Recalling those spine-chilling meat pieces and the fierce sword strike from the tentacled Master, You Su unconsciously took a deep breath, and upon rising, wanted to take the sword by the bedside.
Even if I have no hope of defeating the Master, I'm not one to await my fate.
Yet his stretched-out hand curiously met only air!
The sword he had wielded for nearly eighteen years, always placed in the same spot every night, was nowhere to be found today?
He remembered! The sword had been borrowed by the junior apprentice sister yesterday! She couldn't grasp the sword techniques, but insisted the problem lay with the sword, so she took it!
Is this a coincidence or a premeditated plan?
A chill spread from the soles of You Su's feet to his entire body, a deep sense of helplessness enveloping him like seawater, drowning him so that he almost couldn't breathe.
But there was no time for him to continue succumbing to fear, as the impatient knocking of his junior sister was heard again:
"Knock, knock, knock!"
One knock after another, like a soul-stirring chant, pulling him back into that bizarre dream.
You Su clenched his fists and walked to the door.
Will opening the door allow me to see again? To see this real world...
The young man numbly opened the door to his room.
The door opened.
The familiar fog in his eyes... still remained!
Am I still blind?
You Su had not yet recovered from his surprise when a strong fragrance of flowers overwhelmed him.
Instinctively, he used his palm as a sword to make a slashing gesture, only to find that what he felt was light and airy. A closer touch revealed that it was a shower of petals.
The fragrance was rich yet with a bitter edge, it was his favorite wild chrysanthemum.
"Happy birthday, You Su!"
A crystal-like, playful girl cheered, continuously tossing pale yellow wild chrysanthemum petals from the basket at her side.
"Hehe, isn't Ji Lingruo still quite useful? If you're really moved, quickly hand over the second part of Ms. Bai, not that I'm in a hurry to read it. I'll tell you a secret, it's the bookstore owner from the south of the city who wants it. I just did a little favor for you, and it only cost an extra thirty silver, then I used those thirty silver to have your broken sword reforged. Unfortunately, it will take some time before you can get it back."
"A year, a gift, an inch of joy. Birthdays are very important, you can't be casual about them. You got away with it in the past two years, but today's coming-of-age ceremony cannot be sloppily done! After today, you are an adult. As an adult, you must be patient with this young lady, never scold me again, and teach me those sword techniques you're hiding, got it?"
"Sigh... before I came to this Broken Sword Sect, my birthdays were solemn, unlike your makeshift setup. Why are you standing there speechless? Don't be too hard on yourself. I have a generous heart, so get better soon and continue serving this young lady well."
The girl in the green dress put her hands on her hips and smiled brilliantly. Compared to the newly risen touch of pale orange dawn, she was more beautifully captivating.
"Junior sister."
"What?"
"Don't move."
Ji Lingruo was a bit puzzled but obediently stood still.
You Su slowly raised his hands and placed them in front of the girl by feel. The girl didn't understand his intention but wasn't on guard, thinking her senior brother was about to perform another one of those cliched tricks.
Pinch.
The sensation in his hand was tender and smooth, like a newly peeled boiled egg.
The girl, like a startled fawn, immediately jumped away, her cheeks blushing a red cloud at the place just pinched by her senior brother. Covering her cheeks with disbelief, she said shyly and angrily:
"I... I'm going to sleep! You clean the place yourself!"
Saying this, the girl buried her head and ran swiftly away. While comforting herself: It won't happen again, it won't happen again, today he's the birthday star... honestly, if he wanted to pinch, he should've just said so...
You Su turned his head toward the direction where Ji Lingruo had run off, recalling that absurd dream and the delicate touch from a moment ago. He imagined his temperamental junior sister gathering those countless flowers on the mountain, patiently but grudgingly. An old conversation resurfaced in his mind:
"Hey, You Su, what's your favorite flower?"
"Wild chrysanthemums, perhaps. Chrysanthemums choose the frost of their own accord, not like the springtime ones."
"Hmm, self-indulgence, isn't that embarrassing! Many people have it worse, and they still try to live on. If they could choose, who would choose the frost?"
"I never expected you, junior sister, to be so insightful."
"Hehe, just shows how dumb you are."
On August 12, as the sun began to bathe the world in its light, You Su lay on the ground, facing the sky, staring directly at the newborn sun, even though his eyes watered painfully, he still couldn't see the world before him clearly.
Dejected, the young man lowered his head. Having been here for eighteen years, he now, more than ever, wished for a pair of normal eyes.
"I cannot see now, but one day, I will see."
The young man made a firm promise in his heart.
Meanwhile, in the main hall on top of a lotus stage, a divinely pure woman slowly opened her eyes.